


paper boats don't stay afloat

by BucketLover, findmeinthevoid



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Small Town, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-09-15 01:10:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16923765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BucketLover/pseuds/BucketLover, https://archiveofourown.org/users/findmeinthevoid/pseuds/findmeinthevoid
Summary: After a disastrous break up, Nathaniel Kurtzberg is sent by his parents to small town in the middle of nowhere to live on his own in order to relax a bit and get some things off his mind. When he inevitably runs out of food, he has no choice but to go into town and interact with human beings. Who would have thought that dealing with a bullying liar would end with him meeting Marc Anciel. A shy, but oddly adorable guy who Nathan ends up befriending, telling himself that it was only to have someone to talk to during his days of torture.However, as days pass and the two boys spend more and more time together, they end up growing closer and they keep wondering if what they feel for each other is just friendship or something more.





	1. the prime minister of Tuvalu

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to another spontaneous work written by me. findmeinthevoid  actually came with the idea and plot for this so make sure to check out her works. (they are really awesome). Anyway, without further ado, let's go!

Nathaniel turned the last page of the comic with a sigh. He put it near him, on the bed glancing at the wooden ceiling of the cabin. He was _bored_. His family has owned this cabin in the middle of nowhere from before the beginning of time, but it was an absolute nightmare. There was no wifi, no TV and only very few power outlets. At least he still had his phone, though it took much effort to find at least one bar of signal. 

He understood that his parents had made this choice to help him, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. As much as he wanted to, arguing with them didn’t do much because they were just as stubborn as he was, so the only thing he could do was be salty about everything. Which he made an effort of being every time he talked to his parents. They were the reason he was in this sorry excuse for a vacation spot in the first place, so why not make sure they knew that as well.

He looked at the comic in his hand with disdain. He was getting bored of them, too. At least back at home he had more issues to choose from and the whole internet to help him keep his mind off things. But because he used to spend too much time inside watching anime and reading comics, he was sent here for some fresh air. 

However, here he only had the ten issues that he brought with him, the anime downloaded on his laptop and the old lady who lived twenty trees over as entertainment. Although, he didn’t talk to her all that much. She came to check on him every morning and she was mostly the reason he got out of bed because if he didn’t get up to inform her he was alive, he would be sulking in his pajamas all day. 

Nathan threw the magazine on the floor as he felt his stomach began growling. He got up from his bed and walked down the stairs to the small kitchen. He remembered the last time he was here. He was about five years old and he loved it. Now, not so much. He just wanted his internet back, along with his snacks and blanket fort in his room. 

He slid across the tiles on the kitchen floor in his socks towards the fridge, who was most likely there since the sixties. He didn’t even bother with his slippers, because why would he? His mom would nag him about it, but she wasn’t here now, was she? He opened the fridge only to see a half-full jar of peanut butter and a few slices of bread. 

“Seriously?” Nathan muttered under his breath closing the fridge. This meant he had to go into town now. The old lady was nice enough to fill his fridge for him before he arrived, but his parents told him to thank her nicely and not bother her about food again. 

He went back upstairs, dropped down on his knees and reached under his bed for his suitcase. The dust there was terrible as it all over the cabin, but he wasn’t really in the mood to clean it up. He opened his suitcase feeling a sneeze build up inside him, but it never came. 

“Ugh.” Nathan opened the suitcase this time covering his nose with his shirt to avoid anymore unfortunate situations. He rummaged through it until he found his wallet, that was filled by his parents with money for food and whatever else he needed to survive. 

He put it in his pocket and after grabbing his phone he put on some shoes and walked out the door without bothering to lock it behind him. Who would even try to break in anyway? Sasquatch? 

However, before he began walking on the small trail that led to the town he went around the house and stopped near the lake. It was a beautiful sight, he thought, but it nothing special. The lake which wasn't too big and the trees behind it created a green scenery almost out of a photograph. The water was clear and the aquatic animals and plants gave it a bit more life. Certainly not what he was used to in the city. 

When he was a child he loved this lake. He used to fish there with his dad and they left the forest with a promise that they would even take a bath in the lake next time they came back. But they never did. Now it wasn’t that incredible anymore. Nathan didn’t know if it never was or the place changed had over the years, but he somehow felt disappointed by it. It was just a large body of water, none of the magic that entranced him as a kid was there anymore, and he briefly wondered if his own monotone self that got him into this mess in the first place, was to blame. 

He sighed deeply feeling his eyes sting. Thinking about everything that happened before he got here was making his chest heavy, but he refused to cry. Before the tears appeared, he turned on his heel and began walking in the direction of the town in a leisure pace, blocking the thoughts that would otherwise swallow him whole.

It took him about twenty minutes to reach the place and then ten more to find a convenience store. In his way, he passed by a small park where some teenagers were hanging out. He didn’t spare them a second glance. He wasn’t planning on making friends while he was here anyway. 

After he found the store he spent quite some time deciding on what to get and far too little of the stuff he bought was healthy food. The rest being snacks like chips and chocolate and some fizzy drinks, just because he wasn’t really in the mood for anything else.

He payed the bored looking old man behind the counter and after he put everything in a bag he began walking home. He passed by the park again, however this time there was another girl with them who stood out. She was fairly tall with brown hair that reached to her waist. Her appearance wasn’t too spectacular, but what made her different than the rest was her loud talking that could be heard clearly even from Nathan was standing a few meters away. She seemed to be telling a dramatic story about her trip to Tuvalu where she saved the prime-minister from a car crash. The kids were all looking bored and annoyed and Nathaniel didn’t really blame them. In that one second that Nathan glanced ather, their eyes met and she stopped talking to address him. 

“Hey, you!” she yelled making the other kids turn their attention to him as well. Nathan ignored them and kept going on his way. “You with the emo hair!” 

Nathan stopped in his tracks and rolled his eyes. _Just great,_ he thought, _here we go again._


	2. being mocked by a rock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marc is intrigued by the city guy who stood up to Lila and goes to introduce himself. With a possibility of seeing him again, Marc ends pretty pleased with the situation if not a little embarrassed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Now that the holiday is over I will post more, so look forward to that! :D

Marc is aware that what he was doing wasn’t exactly the definition of extrovertism, but luckily, neither was he. His mom doesn’t like that, however and that’s why he was sitting in a tree and reading when he was supposed to be hanging out with the other teenagers his age. He knew that sitting a few meters away from them and not interacting with them at all couldn't be considered “hanging out”, but his mom didn't need to know that. 

He was about to turn a page when a loud, cherry greeting got his attention. He looked up to see Lila walking up to the others and Marc knew that another ridiculous, made up story would follow. He proved to be right when Lila announced that she had returned from Tuvalu. If her grandmother’s house in the nearby town could be considered Tuvalu. 

Marc tuned her out after that, returning to his story. He wasn't in the least interested in her lies.

“Hey, you!” Lila shouted after a while and Marc's heart skipped a bit, thinking that maybe he was seen. He snapped his head to Lila and surprisingly, she wasn't addressing him.

Marc leaned down to see over the leaves and he noticed a redhead guy walking away from Lila. He didn't recognize him. Marc furrowed his brows in interest and leaned further down to see better.

“You with the emo hair!” Lila pushed and that made the guy stop. He waited for a moment before he turned around. He didn't seem impressed. 

Ok, he was cute, Marc thought. Wait, where did _that_ come from? 

“Excuse me?” he said, raising an eyebrow. 

Lila crossed her arms over her chest. “Who are you? I haven't seen you around before.”

“That's because I don't live here. Is that all?”

“Where are you from?” Lila asked faking interest. 

“Paris. Now if you're done interrogating, I'm gonna go now,” he said, annoyed.

 

Marc could tell Lila didn't like that tone. “Why don't you come hang out with us?” The way she said it, didn’t actually imply an invitation and the guy seemed to realized that as well. 

He rolled his eyes. “No, thanks.” He turned around to leave, but Lila stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder. 

She leaned in and whispered something that Marc couldn't hear. She pulled back after a few seconds and the guy waited for a few moments before he brushed Lila's hand from his shoulders and began walking again. 

“Where are you going?!” Lila yelled outraged. Marc knew no one had ever ignored her like that.

“Home. Unless you want to threaten me again,” the guy replied nonchalantly and Marc gaped at him. No one ever disobeyed Lila like that.

“Hey! Come back here!” Lila shouted. “You don't want to make me your enemy. You think that just because you are a city boy you can do whatever you want? You'll regret messing with me!”

That made the guy stop and he turned around with a cocky smirk. “What are you gonna do? Listen, I dealt with worse people than you. The daughter of the mayor loved to mess with me and I survived. Who are you compared her? Oh wait, you can't even be compared because you are a nobody. So leave me alone and go on your way!”

Marc widened his eyes in surprise. He couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his face. Lila's expression was priceless. She looked like she didn't know what to say, which must have been a first for her. She stomped her foot and with a huff she walked away. 

The guy turned around and left a moment after. Marc watched his back for a few seconds before he made a decision. He jumped down from the tree ignoring the bewildered looks of the other people who still seemed to process that someone has actually stood up to Lila. He clutched the book in his hand as he ran after the guy. 

Marc breaths were ragged and fast when he caught up, but the other guy didn't spare him a glance.

“Hi,” Marc breathed out after he started calming down. 

“Are you here to torment me, too?” the guy asked.

“No way! Just wanted to meet you,” Marc said already feeling kind of awkward. He just appeared out of nowhere. How did that look like to this boy?

He looked at Marc for the first time and raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

Under his gaze, Marc felt his face heating up. “Uhm, because you seem interesting…”

“I do?”

Marc nodded. He extended his hand. “I'm Marc Anciel.”

He stopped and shook Marc's hand. His hand was warm, he noted. “Nathaniel Kurtzberg.”

“Nice to meet you!” Marc said honestly with a small smile. 

Nathaniel only hummed and kept walking. 

“Where do you stay?” Marc asked attempting to make conversation even though he was aware he was just awkwardly following Nathaniel around. 

“A cabin in the forest,” he replied shortly. 

Marc briefly thought about the “haunted house” every child was scared of a few years ago, realizing that it made much for sense that it was actually owned by someone. He smiled at the thought and picked up the pace to walk in tow with Nathaniel. 

“That's cool,” Marc said. “How come you came to stay here?” 

Nathaniel pursed his lips and his gaze hardened. “Don't wanna talk about it.”

“Sorry,” Marc said suddenly feeling bad. He couldn't believe he had made Nathaniel uncomfortable within minutes of meeting him. Maybe that was why he didn't have any friends.

Nathaniel sighed and stopped walking. “Why did you come here anyway? I'm not interesting.”

“You are! I never wanted to talk to someone as much as I wanted to talk to you,” Marc said only realizing how weird it sounded, afterwards.

“Just leave,” Nathaniel said after rolling his eyes. “You’ll just be disappointed.” 

Marc shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

“Why are you so stubborn?” Nathaniel demanded and Marc let his gaze fall to the ground. Maybe he annoyed Nathaniel too much and lost his chances of being his friend. If he even had any in the first place.

“I’m not usually like this,” he confessed wondering what it was that drew him into this random guy so much. “I guess I just want to be your friend.” 

“You don’t want that. Trust me,” Nathaniel simply stated in a solemn way that made Marc’s heart clench. 

“I think… I think I can decide what I want and what I don’t,” Marc said without a doubt. 

“Suit yourself,” Nathaniel said while turning his back to Marc. “But I have to go back now.”

“See you.” Marc waved his hand. 

“No, you won’t,” Nathaniel replied moving farther and farther away.

Marc, however, was feeling bold and without thinking much he shouted. “We’ll see about that.” 

He took a few steps forward and without realizing what was happening, he fell on the ground with a loud thud. He looked at his feet only to see a rock sitting there, in the middle of the road as if it was mocking him. He cursed his luck and turned to Nathaniel who only looked at him. He burst into laughter and Marc felt his cheeks heat up. 

“Sure, we’ll see,” Nathaniel said after he was done laughing and without helping Marc up he left. 

Marc sighed, got up and after dusting his pants he took his book and left, anticipating the moment he would see him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment so I know what you think! It would mean a lot!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this short, first chapter! I am actually pretty excited about this so I will try my best to update a lot. Anyway, thanks for reading! :D


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